Recount Likely In Santa Rosa District 2 Race

At face value the Republican primary in Santa Rosa County for the Board of Commissioners District 2 nomination looked like any other primary race. Until you noticed that both candidates were incumbent commissioners. Bob Cole is the sitting commissioner in district 2 and is running for his fourth term on the board. Jim Melvin is the current district 4 commissioner, but because of redistricting he now lives in district 2, so to seek a second term on the board he had to run against Cole. Take those circumstances, add an extremely low voter turnout and you get a very close election.

Tappie Villane, Supervisor of Elections in Santa Rosa County says the election is still too close to call with all the ballots counted. Right now, Bob Cole leads Jim Melvin by 65 votes. That's out of over 13, 241 ballots cast. Early voting and absentee ballots are included in that number, but provisional ballots are not.

Villane says that on Friday the provisional ballots will be tallied and an unofficial total will be announced. If the margin of the race is one half of a percentage point or less, then Florida statute mandates a recount. As it stands, Cole currently leads Melvin by exactly that margin. If the provisional ballots increase Cole's margin than he will be declared the winner. If the margin remains the same or shrinks, then the canvassing board will come up with a schedule for the recount. After any recount, a second set of unofficial results must be reported to the state by this Sunday.

But wait, there's more. If after the automatic recount is complete the margin of victory is one quarter of one percent, then a manual recount will be held.

Villane says she has been in contact with both candidates keeping them up to date on the results and the process. For his part, Bob Cole expects the results to remain the same. He says Melvin called him election night to congratulate him on his narrow victory.

Whoever finally emerges as the Republican candidate will not have long to celebrate. He'll take on unaffiliated candidate Wallis Mahute in the general election in November. Democratic candidate Kristopher Long withdrew from the race in May for personal reasons.

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In Santa Rosa, the August 26 Republican Primary features two races for county commissioner. Due to redistricting, the District 4 race is wide open, with six political newcomers seeking the seat and the current office-holder running in District 2.

That means the District 2 race has been left with the unusual circumstance of having two sitting commissioners running against each other.

Bob Cole is the District 2 incumbent. The owner of an auto repair shop for nearly three decades, Cole has held the office for 12 years and is seeking his 4th term.

Early voting got underway Monday in two of the three western Panhandle counties.

Voters in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties can cast ballots prior to the August 26 primary through Saturday, August 23. Tappie Villane, the Elections Supervisor in Santa Rosa, says the stream of people was fairly steady on day one. Those wishing to vote in the primary, either early or on Election Day, will need to bring some form of photo ID.